Baltimore Launches Pilot Program To Curb Spread Of STIs, Health Officials Say

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 13 Jan 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Baltimore health officials recently announced that a pilot program allowing people with sexually transmitted infections to distribute antibiotics to their sexual partners is seeing some success, the Baltimore Sun reports. After assessing three months of data, officials found a 2.3% reinfection rate among patients with gonorrhea and chlamydia who received antibiotics for their sexual partners from two city health clinics -- a 41% drop from the past reinfection rate of 3.9%.

The program allows physicians to give patients antibiotics to deliver to up to three sexual partners as part of the Expedited Partner Therapy theory, which follows that patients are less likely to be reinfected if their sexual partners have been treated. The theory is becoming the standard of care for patients with STIs as public health officials aim to curb the spread of the infections, the Sun reports. Emily Erbelding, director of STI clinical services for the Baltimore City Health Department, said, "It makes it easier for the partner to get treated" by taking away the "hassle factor." She added, "We hope to find even greater improvement as we continue to do this over time." According to Erbelding, Baltimore's rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia are higher than the national average.

Ethical and legal concerns have been voiced about the program, including doctors dispensing prescription medication to people who are not their patients. However, according to CDC, 15 states have adopted the practice and more might do so soon. Although Maryland is not one of those states, Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) signed a bill in 2007 that allowed Baltimore to pilot the program (Desmon, Baltimore Sun, 1/9).

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